Joya Powell

Joya Powell (2016-17 DWB Fellow; Core Artist, Building a Better Fishtrap / from the river’s mouth) is a choreographer and educator passionate about community, activism, and dances of the African Diaspora. Founded in 2005, her company, Movement of the People, has performed in venues such as: BAM, Lincoln Center, Harlem Stage, SummerStage, La Mama, The Dance Complex, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and BAAD!. She has choreographed various plays including: Fit for a Queen by Betty Shamieh (The Classical Theatre of Harlem), The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare (The Folger Theatre, DC), Songs About Trains by Beto O’ O'Byrne (New Ohio Theatre) and JOB by Thomas Bradshaw (The FLEA Theater). Awards and recognition include: The Outstanding Emerging Choreographer Bessie Award, Dancing While Black Fellow, Women in Motion Commissioned Artist, The Unsettling Dramaturgy Award, CUNY Dance Initiative. Joya is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Dance and African American Studies at Wesleyan University.